Talk to your subconscious (and get answers!) with muscle-testing. I’ll show you how.

As I explained in this post, muscle-testing is an integral part of The Emotion Code. We use it to find out which emotional imbalances are contributing to a person’s problem.

But even if you don’t practice the Emotion Code, muscle-testing can be a valuable and fun tool in your daily life.

What is muscle-testing?

Muscle-testing is widely used in kinesiology and is an integral part of the Emotion Code, as well. To my knowledge, muscle-testing isn’t scientifically proven, so read & try this with a critical and open mind. (I say this because it works for me and many others, but I don’t like it when people in energy work talk about how it’s all proved by „quantum physics“ etc. even though they don’t know anything about it.)

The basic assumption here is that the part of your mind that keeps your body alive and functioning, the subconscious mind, has stored everything you have ever experienced, even if you (with your conscious mind) think that you have forgotten those past events – be it a trauma or where you put , and you can get answers from it with muscle-testing. Muscle-testing works on the assumption that „your body will normally be drawn toward positive things or thoughts and repelled by negative things or ideas.“ [1] With muscle-testing, you can only get „yes“ or „no“ as an answer. The simplest way of asking your body is the so-called Sway Test. [2]

How to do the Sway Test

Stand with your feet shoulder width apart with your hands by your sides, in a place where you are undistracted. Now, make a statement that you know is true, like saying your name: „I am Julia.“ Or say a word that you feel deeply positive about, feeling into it without distraction. Give your body a few moments and see what happens. Your body will sway forward noticeably. It’s as if it wanted to get closer to or was attracted by the positive or true thought you have presented it with.

Now, say something that you know for certain to be untrue, like „I am John“ when your name isn’t John. Or speak a word or thought you feel very negatively about, like „war“. Feel the emotions that come up and let the notion of war fill your mind. In a few moments, your body will sway backward, as if it were repelled by that negative thought.

Don’t try to force it. Just let your body move if and when it wants to. It’s important that you stay focused on the statement you are thinking of and get out of the way for a few seconds so your body can give you an answer. [3]

For some people, this will work instantaneously, others need practice. Don’t give up! It won’t take that long to learn it. Hint: I have noticed that the sway test and other ways of muscle-testing don’t work well or at all when I’m dehydrated, so try drinking a glass of water and see if anything changes.

What can you use it for?

Apart from muscle-testing being an important part of using The Emotion Code, you can also simply play around with it by testing out statements where you’re not completely sure about your feelings: „I like the guy/girl I had a date with last week“, „I love my job“, „I’d like to go visit my relatives this weekend instead of just staying at home with my boyfriend, watching TV“. This can be really interesting, especially when you are trying it on areas of your life where you tend not be honest with yourself.

It’s also fun to use it with decisions that won’t make a big difference in your life. Martha Beck describes how she uses it in grocery stores to pick the fruit and vegetables that her body desires: She simply buys the ones her body sways towards! [4]

Warning: What not to use muscle-testing for

Muscle-testing is a great resource but it’s not 100 % reliable, especially when you’re testing stuff you are emotionally invested in (you might sabotage the test result). So don’t take the result as the ultimate truth and don’t use it for the following things:

Making important decisions („Should I get a divorce?“) – It’s a complex question (and what does „should“ mean anyway) that you need to use your heart and head for.

Finding out if X is the perfect mate for you. It doesn’t work, I’ve tried. (The guy who I got a yes on once is SO not the perfect guy for me!)

Winning the lotto („Is 5 among the winning numbers this week?“) or in betting, gambling, etc. Muscle-testing helps you get answers from yourself about you, but not about the future (it’s not even decided yet).

Have fun practicing and swaying, and let me know what the experience was like for you!